Improvement in indicators



W. BROWNELLQ Indicator.

No 221,212. Patented N ov. 4, 1879. I

I NJEIERS, PHOTO-Ui'I-IOGRAPVI'ER. WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

WILLIAM L. BROWNELL, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN INDICATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,212, dated November4, 1879; application filed -May 19, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. BROWN- ELL, of Kalamazoo, county ofKalamazoo, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Size and Number Indicators, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of my invention is the construction of a device by means ofwhich the absence and presence of articles of merchandise which aresized or numbered can be indicated on the cases for holding the same.Especially on boot and shoe cartoons and hat-boxes my invention may befound of great utility, as it saves the merchant the annoyance and laborof handling over his stock to ascertain what sizes or numbershe has onsale.

The construction of my device consists in a perforated plate of metal,or other suitable material, through which perforations characters orfigures stamped or printed on a paper card or metal plate show,corresponding to the sizes or numbers of the articles the case containson which the device is used.

Its construction further consists in sliding gates for canceling orcovering said characters or figures at will.

Another feature of my device is an opening and receptacle for insertingblank cards, upon which may be written the style and-price of goods, &c.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofv this specification,Figure l is a perspective of the device; Fig. 2, the card or platecontaining the figures or characters;

Fig. 3, a cross-sectional view of device; Fig. 4, surface view of gate;Fig. 5, slde view of gate, and Fig.6 the device secured to a case. B Bare the perforations of the face-plate, Fig. 1, through which show thecharacters on card or plate E, which perforations may be of any numberand form desirable. D D are the gates, two of which are seen closed inFig. 1, hiding the figures 35- and 5, These gates maybe made by blockingthem out of thin metal or other material, and bending each end at rightangles with the face of said gates, forming projections, as seen in Fig.5, which serve to hold the gates in place, one of which projections, C,is made smaller than the other, and moves in slots 0 0, cut through thefaceplate in Fig. 1. The larger of these projections form handles toopen and shut the gates by.

A is the opening through which the blank card will show when inserted inthe receptacle c.

The card or plate E is secured to the back face of the perforated plate,Fig. 1, by bending the sides and ends of said perforated plate over onthe back face of plate E, as shown at e e in Fig. 3; or the said platesmay be secured to each other with rivets.

The operation of the device is as follows If all the sizes or numbersare in the case, the gates D D are all left open. Whenever any size isall sold out, it is indicated by closing the gate, which will cover thecharacter representing said size.

What I claim, and desire to secure, is-

The combination of the face-plate, Fig. 1, provided with sliding gates DD and perforations B B and G U, with the solid plate E, containingcharacters printed or engraved upon it, arranged to show throughperforations B B, as and for the purpose specified.

. W. L. BROWNELL.

Attest:

PHILIP F. PoUELsoN,

L, 0. WEST.

